The Feast of the Immaculate Conception

THE FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION "We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful." The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the patronal feast of the United States, is a Holy Day of Obligation. Because this feast honoring Mary, the Mother of God, celebrates one of the most important events in salvation history, it is never abrogated, even when December 8 falls on a Saturday or a Monday.